e-News for Tax Professionals 2026-02

The second news release for the IRS’s Get Ready campaign explains additional steps tax professionals and their clients should take before filing tax year 2025 federal income tax returns. These steps include:

Accessing IRS Individual Online Accounts. Users can view account information, make payments, manage communication preferences and protect tax information. Tax professionals can use Tax Pro Account and businesses can use Business Tax Account.
Using direct deposit to receive tax refunds.
Reviewing new 2025 tax law changes, including the tax provisions in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.
Learning about new Trump Accounts for eligible children.
Knowing how to report income from payment apps and online sales. All income from part-time work, gig activities or sales of goods and services is taxable. Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, will be issued by payment card companies for any amount and by payment apps and online marketplaces when payments exceed $20,000 and more than 200 transactions occur for the year.
Being familiar with digital assets reporting requirements. Taxpayers who bought, sold or received digital assets, including cryptocurrency, stablecoins or NFT, must report those transactions. Some taxpayers may receive Form 1099-DA from brokers. Regardless, all taxpayers must answer the digital asset question on Form 1040 and report any related income, gains or losses.

Taking these steps and gathering documents now will help ensure a smoother, less stressful experience when filing taxes.

2. 2025 Nationwide Tax Forum Online: Getting Taxpayers Back on Track – Quickly Resolving Unpaid Tax Debts While Preventing New Ones from Occurring

One highlight of the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum Online (NTFO) is the seminar Getting Taxpayers Back on Track: Quickly Resolving Unpaid Tax Debts While Preventing New Ones from Occurring. This session explains what tax professionals can do to get their clients back on track by resolving their delinquencies and the issues that led to them. The session also covers the use of online tools and other services to help effectively and efficiently resolve clients’ accounts when they have balances due or past due tax returns.

All NTFO self-study seminars cost $29 each. Tax pros can earn one continuing education credit for each NTFO self-study seminar or audit a presentation for free. For more information, visit irstaxforumonline.com.

3. Reminder: Webinars for Tax Professionals

Join the IRS for two free webinars taking place this week:

Topic: Law and Audit – The Due Diligence Process
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. Eastern, Noon Central, 11 a.m. Arizona & Mountain, 10 a.m. Pacific, 9 a.m. Alaska, 8 a.m. Hawaii
Duration: 60 minutes including live Q&A
CE credit category: One (1.0) federal tax law credit
Learn how to:
- Apply the four following paid preparer due diligence requirements for tax year 2025 returns prepared for clients:
  - Knowledge Requirement
  - Worksheet Requirement
  - Form 8867 Completion and Submission
  - Record Retention
- Explain the IRS’s methods for contacting paid preparers and the due diligence audit process.
- Identify online educational tools and resources available on IRS.gov.

Topic: Stand out as a trusted tax professional – A guide to prepare accurate refundable tax credit returns for your clients
Date: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. Eastern, Noon Central, 11 a.m. Arizona & Mountain, 10 a.m. Pacific, 9 a.m. Alaska, 8 a.m. Hawaii
Duration: 60 minutes including live Q&A
CE credit category: One (1.0) federal tax law credit
Learn how to:
- Explain the tax year 2025 eligibility rules for tax returns claiming:
  - Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
  - Child Tax Credit (CTC), Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) and Credit for Other Dependents (ODC)
  - American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)
  - Head of Household (HOH) filing status
- Recognize the impact of benefits when a young adult living with a parent files independently and claims credits, and how a young adult should determine dependency status.
- Identify IRS online resources.

4. Whistleblower Office Announces New Digital Form 211

The IRS Whistleblower Office is making it easier for whistleblowers to report tax noncompliance to the IRS with the launch of the new digital Form 211, Application for Award for Original Information. Tax professionals can use the form to submit a claim about suspected tax fraud, evasion or tax law violations. The suspects could be other tax professionals, businesses or individual taxpayers.

Whistleblowers help ensure fairness in the nation’s tax system by providing information regarding noncompliance and fraudulent activity, resulting in billions of dollars collected.

Since 2007, the Whistleblower Office has awarded over $1.4 billion to whistleblowers based on the collection of more than $7.86 billion attributable to whistleblower-provided information. Whistleblower information that is specific, timely, credible and relevant is an important component of effective tax administration as it bolsters the fair and efficient enforcement of tax laws.

5. Updated Frequently Asked Questions on the Premium Tax Credit

The Internal Revenue Service updated frequently asked questions in Fact Sheet 2025-10 related to changes to the Premium Tax Credit made under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill and to related provisions that no longer apply.

The Premium Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit that helps eligible individuals and families with low or moderate income with the cost of their health insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the Exchange.

OBBB made a number of changes to the Premium Tax Credit, including removing the limitations on repayment of excess advance payments of the premium tax credit for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2025.

The IRS updated the FAQs to delete the questions about certain Premium Tax Credit rules that do not apply after tax years 2020 and 2021.

For more information, please see One, Big, Beautiful Bill Provisions on IRS.gov.

6. Technical Guidance

Revenue Procedure 2026-10 provides additional guidance on the process for requesting private letter rulings from the IRS, as generally set forth in Rev. Proc. 2025-1, for consent to make retroactive qualified electing fund (QEF) elections under section 1295(b) of the Internal Revenue Code and Treas. Reg. § 1.1295-3(f).

Revenue Procedure 2026-10 will be in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-04, dated Jan. 20, 2026.

Announcement 2026-02 provides important information for taxpayers who are liable for the tax on petroleum under Section 4611 of the Internal Revenue Code. It concerns the expiration of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate on Dec. 31, 2025.

Announcement 2026-02 will be in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-05, dated Jan. 26, 2026.

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